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The IUCN Red List has downgraded several species from "endangered" to "vulnerable" that still have largely unknown extinction risks. We consider one of those downgraded species, the giant panda, a bamboo specialist. Massive bamboo flowering could be a natural disaster for giant pandas. Using scenario analysis, we explored possible impacts of the next bamboo flowering in the Qinling and Minshan Mountains that are home to most giant pandas. Our results showed that the Qinling Mountains could experience large-scale bamboo flowering leading to a high risk of widespread food shortages for the giant pandas by 2020. The Minshan Mountains could similarly experience a large-scale bamboo flowering with a high risk for giant pandas between 2020 and 2030 without suitable alternative habitat in the surrounding areas. These scenarios highlight thus-far unforeseen dangers of conserving giant pandas in a fragmented habitat. We recommend advance measures to protect giant panda from severe population crashes when flowering happens. This study also suggests the need to anticipate and manage long-term risks to other downgraded species. • Panda habitats in both mountains are at high risk of experiencing large-scale bamboo flowering in 2020. • Our scenarios highlight thus-far unforeseen dangers of conserving pandas in a fragmented habitat. • Our study suggests the need to anticipate and manage long-term risks to other species even after their downgrading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 1970s and 1990s, Guanyinshan Nature Reserve (GNR), a giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca) distribution area historically, had experienced periodic commercial logging. After officially logging stopping in 1998 and converting to a giant panda nature reserve in 2002, GNR got the chance on forest restoration. It is very necessary to monitor the spatiotemporal change of its forest habitat. It is also widely known that it is difficult to make accurate mapping the mountainous area based on images through traditional classification algorithm. So, this study aims to monitor the spatiotemporal change of mountainous habitat in GNR in order to provide proper suggestions for giant panda conservation. The research applied a multilayer perceptron model, a high learning-sensitive algorithm, to classify the land cover types and monitor habitat change in GNR by using Landsat images acquired in 1978, 1988, 1997 and 2007, respectively. Our results showed that: (1) three types of forests composed the main landscape of the GNR, and an increase of 7.7% forest coverage occurred within 30 years. (2) Due to logging, there were many forest clearing-cutting areas in 1997 and swaths of shrub-grass in 1978 and 1988. However, these two types of landscape were strongly reduced by 2007 due to more attention and protection. (3) A decrease in the number of patches, an increase in the mean patch size, and an over-time decreasing in the mean nearest neighbor distance all revealed a decreasing on habitat fragmentation. Therefore, reduction in detrimental human activities has helped enhance and expand giant panda habitat toward a healthier and more stable ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental heterogeneity contributes to various habitats and may influence the diversity and activity patterns of wildlife among habitats. We used camera traps to assess wildlife habitat use in Guanyinshan Nature Reserve from 2009 to 2012. We focused on four types of habitat including open areas with gentle slope (<15°) (Type1), low elevation areas (about 1500-1700 m) with high bamboo coverage (Type2), high elevation areas (about 2100-2300 m) with high canopy coverage (Type3), and wildlife migration passages (Type4). We analyzed the differences in species richness, relative abundance index (RAI), species diversity, and animals' activity pattern among habitats. Total six species were analyzed on activity pattern, which are Takin ( Budorcas taxicolor), tufted deer ( Elaphodus cephalophus), Himalayan goral ( Naemorhedus goral), wild boar ( Sus scrofa), golden pheasant ( Chrysolophus pictus), and porcupine ( Hystrix hodgsoni). The results are (1) that there were significant differences in richness and RAI among habitats; (2) Type4 habitat had the highest richness and RAI while Type2 had the highest species diversity; giant pandas were found in these two habitats; (3) there were significant differences in species' activity during daytime and nighttime; and (4) differences appeared in habitat preference of the most abundant species. Takin and tufted deer preferred Type1, Himalayan goral preferred Type2, and golden pheasant preferred Type3. Type4 habitat was used by most animals. All these revealed that habitat heterogeneity plays an important role in species diversity and the importance for conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial separation of the Qinling Mountains from the western mountains has caused morphological and genetic distinctions of giant pandas. Could this separation also cause the pandas' behavior change? In this research, we focused on the pandas' movement pattern and selected two wild panda groups in Foping and Wolong Nature Reserves (NR) to represent the populations in the Qinling and Qionglai Mountains, respectively. We hypothesized that the Qinling pandas have developed a different seasonal movement pattern compared with the pandas in the western mountains. We analyzed the radio tracking data from two NRs by using GIS. Our results showed the following significant differences: (1) The Foping pandas live most of the year in the low elevation areas and move higher during June and remain through August while the Wolong pandas live most of the year in the high elevation areas and move lower in April and stay through June; (2) Comparing their low and high elevational areas shows the distinct spatial patterns between reserves, forming two obviously separated clusters in Foping but a single-compact cluster in Wolong; (3) Foping pandas move an average of 425 m ± 147 s.d. daily, while Wolong pandas move an average of 550 m ± 343 s.d. daily; and (4) Three habitat factors (i.e., terrain, temperature, and bamboo nutrient) were taken as the driving forces and analyzed, and they showed a strong support explanation to these different movement behaviors of pandas in two NRs. Our findings have important implications for management, for instance, it needs to be careful considering the behavior difference of the pandas when reintroducing them to the wild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid industrialization and urbanization have created a substantial urban-rural gradient for various pollutants. The Qinling Mountains are highly important in terms of biodiversity, providing habitat for giant pandas, which are endemic to China and are a widely recognized symbol for conservation. Whether polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure risks regarding in situ animal conservation zones are affected by environmental pollution or even enhanced by the mountain-trapping effect requires further research. Our group carried out a large-scale investigation on the area ranging from Xi'an to Hanzhong across the giant panda habitat in the Qinling Mountains by collecting atmosphere, soil, bamboo, and fecal samples from different sites over a two-year period. The total toxicity of atmospheric PAHs and the frequencies of soil PAHs above effect range low (ERL) values showed a decreasing trend from urban areas to the central mountains, suggesting a distance effect from the city. The proportions of total 5- and 6-ring PAHs in the atmosphere were higher in the central mountainous areas than in the urban areas, while this difference was reversed in the soil. Health risk assessments showed that the incremental lifetime carcinogenic risks (ILCR) of PAH exposure by bamboo ingestion ranged from 2.16 × 10−4 to 3.11 × 10−4, above the critical level of 10−4. Bamboo ingestion was the main driver of the PAH exposure risks. The concentration difference between bamboo and fecal samples provided a reference for the level of PAHs absorbed by the panda digestive system. Since the Qinling Mountains possess the highest density of giant pandas and provide habitats to many other endangered animal and plant species, we should not ignore the probability of health risks posed by PAHs. Monitoring the pollution level and reducing the atmospheric emissions of toxic pollutants are recommended actions. Further detailed research should also be implemented on pandas' health effects of contaminant exposure. [Display omitted] • The ∑16 PAH concentrations showed a regional trend in the atmosphere and soil. • The trends of 5- and 6-ring PAH proportions were reversed in the atmosphere and soil. • Health risks were assessed based on the concentrations of three environmental media. • ILCR suggested a probability of high cancer risk though bamboo ingestion. • Bamboo ingestion was the main driver of health risks for giant pandas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar radiation is an important parameter in ecological process modeling, hydrological modeling and bio-physical modeling. However, models focusing on solar radiation in relation to giant panda habitat and seasonal distribution are limited. The research aims to form spatial models of 12 month solar radiation patterns and to investigate the relation between the solar radiation patterns and the monthly distribution patterns of giant pandas. The solar radiation model of Kumar et al. was adopted for this study in Foping Nature Reserve (NR), China. By comparing twelve monthly solar radiation patterns and calculating statistics such as maximum, minimum, mean and standard deviation of the solar radiation, diversified solar radiation patterns over different months were obtained. Maximum solar radiation occurred in June and July, while minimum solar radiation occurred in December and January. The annual sum of solar radiation was 6954MJ/m2 in Foping NR. The range in solar radiation was smaller in hot months and larger in cold months. Radio tracking data of giant pandas were collected for twelve months and the ensuing maps were overlaid with the twelve-month solar radiation map to analyze the relation between the giant panda's monthly distribution and solar radiation. Our results showed that giant pandas prefer areas with lower solar radiation in warm months and select areas with higher solar radiation in cold months, which illustrates that the distribution of giant pandas is indeed affected by solar radiation. To a certain degree, it also explains the behavior of seasonal movement by giant pandas in Foping NR. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Reasonable zoning of the nature reserve (NR) is the key to maintain the reserve''s ecological functions for sustainable development. Many zoning designs in the past years were too subjective and lack of scientific contents. The aim of this paper is to find the new approaches for NRs’ functional zoning. We firstly analyzed the practical problems occurred in the functional zoning of giant panda NRs in China. Secondly, a reasonable index system to guide zoning was established for the case study area—Laoxiancheng NR. Finally two new zoning approaches were developed, which were all automatic realization methods based on spatial analysis using GIS. The habitat suitability assessment (HSA)-based approach considered both natural landscape factors and human disturbing factors. It integrated the outputs of landscape suitability assessment and human disturbance assessment with overlaying the trail density of giant pandas. The HSA zoning showed that (1) 72.2% trail locations of giant panda lied within the core zone, while all human settlements were sited inside the experimental zone; (2) the core zone contained 82.3% suitable habitat patches, while the experimental zone defined 82% human disturbed areas. The least-cost distance calculation (LCDC)-based approach described the degrees of species conservation and of landscape resistance on species. The animal''s selective movement process could be reflected by the spatial variation of the least-cost distance. We classified the least-cost distance using the standard deviation and obtained three thresholds for the core, buffer and experimental zones of Laoxiancheng NR. The LCDC zoning showed that (1) the selection of three thresholds for functional zoning was the key step of this approach; (2) the different safety-level zonings can be designed by utilizing the classification of standard deviation; and the used medium safety-level zoning produced the core, buffer and experimental zones with the areas of 77.37, 22.51 and 25.25km2, respectively. Two zoning results demonstrated that two approaches will be useful for species conservation and NR management and can be applied and extended to the relevant nature reserves which aim at the preservation of the endangered species and their habitats. They make it possible to avoid the subjective and non-scientific zoning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

As the most biodiversity-rich part of the protected areas system, habitats within the pilot national parks have long been threatened by drastic human-induced land use and land cover changes. The growing concern about habitat loss has spurred China's national park project to shift from pilot to construction phase with the official establishment of China's first group of national parks (CFGNPs) in October 2021. But far too little attention has been paid to the synergistic work concerning the habitat quality (HQ) dynamics of all five national parks. Here, the InVEST model, combined with a satellite-derived land use and land cover product and a hot spot analysis (HSA) method, was used to investigate the HQ dynamics at the park- and pixel-scale within the CFGNPs. Our results demonstrate that the past ecological conservation practices within national parks have been unpromising, especially in Giant Panda National Park, Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park (NCTL), and Wuyi Mountain National Park (WYM), where HQ as a whole showed a significant decline. Furthermore, more than half of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park (87.2%), WYM (77.4%), and NCTL (52.9%) showed significant HQ degradation from 1980 to 2019. Besides, increasing trends in the area shares of HQ degraded pixels were observed in all five national parks from 1980–1999 to 2000–2019. The HSA implied that the hot spots of high HQ degradation rates tend to occur in areas closer to urban settlements or on the edge of national parks, where human activities are intensive. Despite these disappointing findings, we highlighted from the observed local successes and the HQ plateau that the construction of CFGNPs is expected to reverse the deteriorating HQ trends. Thus, we concluded our paper by proposing an HSA-based regulatory zoning scheme that includes five subzones to guide the future construction of China's national park system. [Display omitted] • The first known investigation to reveal the habitat quality trends for China's first group of national parks was presented. • The past ecological conservation practices within national parks have been unpromising over the past four decades. • The area shares of habitat quality degraded pixels show an increasing trend in all five national parks from 1980 to 2019. • We developed a regulatory zoning scheme for habitat protection or ecosystem restoration within these national parks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]